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Posted by Larry Manfredi on 07:57:05 12/21/14
I have posted a photo of the approximate Golden Orb Trail with marked areas that the Key West Quail-Doves have been seen. There is no easy way to see the bird. I put in a tremendous amount of time before I finally saw the bird and now "BIRDS". I only marked a couple of recent sightings and some areas where the birds have mostly been seen. These birds are large doves about Rock Pigeon size. When it is walking through the forest leaf litter it is quite noisy. There are many other noisy things that have you looking like, Brown Anole Lizards, Gray Catbirds, Ovenbirds and Hermit Crabs. This dove makes a steady leaf litter noise as it walks and feeds, lizards usually make a fast noise that stops right away. Catbirds seem to make a thrashing sound as they toss leaf litter around. Ovenbirds are softer but can also thrash leaves around.
These birds can been seen anywhere from the beginning of the trail all of the way to where the hammock ends. Another area that may be worth checking is the ocean side of the the nature trail. A local lady says she as seen the bird or birds on that side of the trail late in the day.
Good luck to those that go searching but be prepared to spend some time. There are mosquitoes present throughout the day and sand flies late in the day.
An excellent find by Joel Wilcox!
Larry Manfredi
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